


Like Family

by imaginary_golux



Series: These Precious Fluffballs [6]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Birthday Cake, Birthday Fluff, Fluff, Found Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-26 14:43:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6243718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginary_golux/pseuds/imaginary_golux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey and Finn have never had birthday parties. Poe fixes that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like Family

“Um,” says Finn, “what are you doing?”

“Baking a cake,” says Poe easily. “Want to help?”

Finn and Rey exchange a glance. “...Sure,” says Rey. “What can we do?”

“Mix this,” Poe says, handing her a bowl and a spoon. “Finn, here, this is the icing - get this all mixed together till it’s smooth.”

Once the cake is in the oven, Rey and Finn dust each other off - flour gets everywhere, apparently - and then Finn says, “So, why are we making a cake?”

“It’s Pava’s birthday,” Poe says. “So I’m bringing a cake to the party, because frankly no one else in the squadron can bake.”

There’s a brief pause. And then Poe says, in the tones of someone having a deeply unpleasant revelation, “Neither of you has ever had a birthday party, have you?”

“I don’t know when my birthday is,” Rey says. “And parties didn’t happen on Jakku. I might have had one when I was really small.”

“I don’t know when my birthday is either,” Finn says. “We had Ascension Day when we got promoted from cadets to Stormtroopers. We got double portions at dinner and an extra ten minutes to eat.”

“Ah,” says Poe. “Well. Most of the rest of the galaxy does birthday parties. You should come to Pava’s - she’ll be happy to see you there - and you can see what it’s like.”

“That sounds nice,” says Finn. Rey nods.

*

“That was fun,” says Rey, as they walk back to their rooms late that night.

“Cake is _delicious_ ,” says Finn dreamily.

“It comes in other flavors,” Poe says, grinning. Finn gives him a wide-eyed look of delight and adoration. “You guys should pick birthdays. We’ll throw a party - I’ll make cake.”

“ _Could_ we?” asks Finn, delighted.

“Of course,” says Poe.

*

Finn and Rey discuss birthdays that night, sitting on Finn’s bunk with the light turned down low. Rey’s seen them, sometimes, among the other scavengers of Jakku; Finn has seen holos where people have birthdays. They pool their knowledge, talk it out late into the evening.

In the morning, they tell Poe, “We’ve chosen our birthday.”

“...Singular?” asks Poe curiously.

“The day I met you, and left the First Order,” Finn explains.

“Which is also the day _I_ met _Finn_ , and left Jakku,” Rey agrees.

“Huh,” says Poe, thinking it through. “The first day of your new lives. Yeah, that’s a _good_ birthday.” He thinks for another minute. “Kriff, that’s in two months! I gotta start thinking about what I’m going to get you guys!”

“...You said you’d make us cake?” Finn says tentatively.

“Well, yeah, of course I’ll make cake - but that’s different. I gotta get you something. Something good.” Poe grins. “Gotta make up for the last however many years you missed.”

“Oh,” says Rey. “Um. Thanks?”

“It’s gonna be great,” Poe says cheerfully. “Now come help me tease Pava about her epic hangover.”

Finn grins. Rey snorts a chuckle. “You’re _nasty_ ,” she says approvingly.

“Hey, I brought cake. She could have just eaten my delicious, delicious cake instead of drinking the whole bottle of whatever the kriff that was Snap got her,” Poe says.

“She ate three slices of your delicious, delicious cake,” Finn points out.

“...Fair,” Poe admits. “And to be completely honest, I’m bringing her a hangover cure. The teasing is just a side benefit.”

“Awwwww,” says Rey, looping an arm around his waist and resting her head against his shoulder as she tugs him down the corridor. “You’re _sweet_.”

“Yeah he is,” says Finn, taking Poe’s free hand in his.

*

Pretty much everyone on base chips in to help make Rey and Finn’s very first birthday party the best party anyone’s ever seen. Poe is not the only person making a cake - there are _seven_ cakes on the long table in the mess hall, each a different flavor. The cooks have made every one of Rey and Finn’s favorite dishes (although admittedly figuring out which dishes were Rey’s favorites was a little difficult, because she likes almost everything). There is a pile of gifts nearly as tall as Poe is, because everyone on base thinks the galaxy of their ex-Stormtrooper and the newest Jedi. The droids all adore Rey, because she spends all her spare hours fixing them; the people all adore Finn, because he’s never anything less than cheerfully willing to help out. And the pilots have pretty much adopted them both, Finn for rescuing Poe and Rey because she’s one of the best flyers they’ve ever seen.

Poe’s gifts are near the bottom of the pile, because of _course_ he got there early to help with setup.

The party itself goes really, really well. Rey and Finn laugh and dance and eat far too much. Rey uses the Force to blow out the candles on six of the cakes while Finn blows the ones on the last cake out the traditional way. The assembled partygoers sing about fifteen different birthday songs at once, which is a horrible cacophony, but Rey and Finn both laugh with delight.

And then there’s the gifts. Rey and Finn are both more than a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of _stuff_. A lot of it is food - everyone has noticed how delighted Rey is with almost any kind of food, and so there are flavored nutrition bars and fruits and candy of half a hundred kinds for her, and some for Finn too because he’s always happy about new and exciting flavors. There are holonovels and manuals for half a dozen types of droid and a couple of cookbooks. There is clothing for both of them, shirts and trousers and a really lovely dress for Rey from Leia, small hand weapons and a blaster repair kit apiece and most of an X-Wing fighter pilot’s outfit for Rey from the pilots, good shoes and clothes suitable for any environment from Hoth to Jakku for Finn. At the bottom of the pile are Poe’s contributions: a fighter pilot’s helmet for Rey, which she puts on immediately, and a beautiful formal suit for Finn in the shade of deep purple which is, so far as Poe can tell, Finn’s favorite color. And there is a note.

“Second half of gift to follow: be at hangar 4 tomorrow morning at 0600,” Rey reads. “There’s _more_?”

“Of course there’s more,” Poe says, grinning like a fool. “It just took a little more preparation than this bit.”

“Thank you,” says Finn, stroking the sleeve of his new purple suit in awe. “This is...thank you, _all_ of you. This is the best thing _ever_.”

“Happy birthday, you two,” says Leia fondly.

“Hey,” says Rey, “if we have the same birthday, does that mean we’re twins?”

“That’s...not _quite_ how that works,” laughs Poe. But Finn slings an arm around Rey’s shoulders, broad grin lighting up the room.

“Twins!” he says joyfully, and Poe, who has learned when it just isn’t worth arguing with them, shrugs and sighs and lets it go.

*

The next morning they meet him at hangar 4 at six on the nose, wearing some of their new clothing and vibrating with eagerness. Poe ushers them into the little ship he’s gotten permission to use for this, just big enough for the three of them and BB-8, and takes them up. Rey, in the copilot seat, watches him set the course.

“So, where are we going?”

“Tell you when we get there,” Poe says, grinning, and sends them into hyperspace with a flourish.

Two hours later, they’re setting down just outside the walls of the Dameron compound. Rey is staring in wonder at the Force-tree which towers over the house; Finn is gaping at the wide lawns and the children scampering about. Poe herds them off the ship and up to the wide front porch, where someone is waiting for them.

“Dad,” says Poe, “this is Finn. He saved my life. And this is Rey. She saved _Finn’s_ life.”

Kes Dameron opens his arms wide. “Welcome, then, Finn and Rey. Welcome to the family.” And he gathers them both into his embrace.

Finn squeaks, “ _Family?_ ”

“Anyone so dear to my son is dear to me,” Kes explains, letting them go only to loop his arms about their shoulders and steer them into the house. Poe trails behind, grinning. “And Poe’s told me all about you. As far as I’m concerned, you’re Damerons, now and forever.”

He guides them into the kitchen, gets them sat at the table, and stations himself at the enormous restaurant-quality stove. “So, how do you like your omelets?”

Poe sits down between Rey and Finn, grinning at their gobsmacked expressions.

“Poe,” says Rey, softly. “You got us a _family_ for our birthday?”

“I did,” Poe says. “Welcome to the family, Rey and Finn Dameron. You will always be welcome here.”

Rey buries her face in his shoulder, clinging to him tightly. Finn takes his hand, grip nearly strong enough to hurt. “Thank you,” he says quietly. “Poe - this is - there couldn’t be a better gift.”

“You’re welcome,” Poe says softly.

“No, really, what do you kids want in your omelets?” Kes asks, turning from the stove to grin at them all. “Wait any longer and they’ll be scrambled eggs instead.”

“Anything,” says Finn, smiling through happy tears. “Whatever you think best.”

“Well then,” says Kes cheerfully, “two Dameron specials coming right up. And one boring ham-and-cheese for my so-adventurous son.”

“Dad,” says Poe, grinning, “I fly X-Wings for a living. I don’t need my _food_ to be exciting.”

“Booo-ring,” says Kes, and Rey giggles against Poe’s shoulder, and Poe thinks he may never have had a more perfect moment in his life.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Like Family](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7549036) by [Hananobira](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hananobira/pseuds/Hananobira)




End file.
